Unexpected longer T1 lifetime of 6-sulfur guanine than 6-selenium guanine: the solvent effect of hydrogen bonds to brake the triplet decay.

The decay of the T1 state to the ground state is an essential property of photosensitizers because it decides the lifetime of excited states and, thus, the time window for sensitization. The sulfur/selenium substitution of carbonyl groups can red-shift absorption spectra and enhance the triplet yield because of the large spin-orbit coupling, modifying nucleobases to potential photosensitizers for various applications. However, replacing sulfur with selenium will also cause a much shorter T1 lifetime. Experimental studies found that the triplet decay rate of 6-seleno guanine (6SeGua) is 835 times faster than that of 6-thio guanine (6tGua) in aqueous solution. In this work, we reveal the mechanism of the T1 decay difference between 6SeGua and 6tGua by computing the activation energy and spin-orbit coupling for rate calculation. The solvent effect of water is treated with explicit microsolvation and implicit solvent models. We find that the hydrogen bond between the sulfur atom of 6tGua and the water molecule can brake the triplet decay, which is weaker in 6SeGua. This difference is crucial to explain the relatively long T1 lifetime of 6tGua in an aqueous solution. This insight emphasizes the role of solvents in modulating the excited state dynamics and the efficiency of photosensitizers, particularly in aqueous environments.

Using Adiabatic Energy Splitting To Compute Dexter Energy Transfer Couplings.

Dexter energy transfer and transport (DET) are of broad interest in energy science, and DET rates depend on electronic couplings between donor and acceptor species. DET couplings are challenging to compute since they originate from both one- and two-particle interactions, and the strength of this interaction drops approximately exponentially with donor-acceptor distances. Using adiabatic energy splitting to compute DET couplings has advantages because adiabatic states can be calculated directly using conventional quantum chemical methods. We describe a minimum energy splitting method to compute the DET coupling by altering molecular geometries to drive the systems into a T1/T2 energy quasi-degenerate-activated DA complex. We explore the accuracy of various quantum chemical approaches to calculate the Dexter couplings.

Transition from Sequential to Concerted Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer of Water Oxidation on Semiconductor Photoanodes.

Accelerating proton transfer has been demonstrated as key to boosting water oxidation on semiconductor photoanodes. Herein, we study proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) of water oxidation on five typical photoanodes [i.e., α-Fe2O3, BiVO4, TiO2, plasmonic Au/TiO2, and nickel-iron oxyhydroxide (Ni1-xFexOOH)-modified silicon (Si)] by combining the rate law analysis of H2O molecules with the H/D kinetic isotope effect (KIE) and operando spectroscopic studies. An unexpected and universal half-order kinetics is observed for the rate law analysis of H2O, referring to a sequential proton-electron transfer pathway, which is the rate-limiting factor that causes the sluggish water oxidation performance. Surface modification of the Ni1-xFexOOH electrocatalyst is observed to break this limitation and exhibits a normal first-order kinetics accompanied by much enhanced H/D KIE values, facilitating the turnover frequency of water oxidation by 1 order of magnitude. It is the first time that Ni1-xFexOOH is found to be a PCET modulator. The rate law analysis illustrates an effective strategy for modulating PCET kinetics of water oxidation on semiconductor surfaces.

Organic Photovoltaic Catalyst with σ-π Anchor for High-Performance Solar Hydrogen Evolution.

Efficient in situ deposition of metallic cocatalyst, like zero-valent platinum (Pt), on organic photovoltaic catalysts (OPCs) is the prerequisite for their high catalytic activities. Here we develop the OPC (Y6CO), by introducing carbonyl in the core, which is available to σ-π coordinate with transition metals, due to the high-energy empty π* orbital of carbonyl. Y6CO exhibits a stronger capability to anchor Pt species and reduce them to metallic state, resulting in more Pt0 deposition, relative to the control OPC without the central σ-π anchor. Single-component and heterojunction nanoparticles (NPs) employing Y6CO show enhanced average hydrogen evolution rates of 230.98 and 323.22 mmol h-1 g[OPC] -1 , respectively, under AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm-2 for 10 h, and heterojunction NPs yield the external quantum efficiencies of ca. 10 % in 500-800 nm. This work demonstrates that σ-π anchoring is one efficient strategy for integrating metallic cocatalyst and OPC for high-performance photocatalysis.

A Paramagnetic Compass Based on Lanthanide Metal-Organic Framework.

Macroscopic compass-like magnetic alignment at low magnetic fields is natural for ferromagnetic materials but is seldomly observed in paramagnetic materials. Herein, we report a "paramagnetic compass" that magnetically aligns under ∼mT fields based on the single-crystalline framework constructed by lanthanide ions and organic ligands (Ln-MOF). The magnetic alignment is attributed to the Ln-MOF's strong macroscopic anisotropy, where the highly-ordered structure allows the Ln-ions' molecular anisotropy to be summed according to the crystal symmetry. In tetragonal Ln-MOFs, the alignment is either parallel or perpendicular to the field depending on the easiest axis of the molecular anisotropy. Reversible switching between the two alignments is realized upon the removal and re-adsorption of solvent molecules filled in the framework. When the crystal symmetry is lowered in monoclinic Ln-MOFs, the alignments become even inclined (47°-66°) to the field. These fascinating properties of Ln-MOFs would encourage further explorations of framework materials containing paramagnetic centers.

Application of the imaginary time hierarchical equations of motion method to calculate real time correlation functions.

We investigate the application of the imaginary time hierarchical equations of motion method to calculate real time quantum correlation functions. By starting from the path integral expression for the correlated system-bath equilibrium state, we first derive a new set of equations that decouple the imaginary time propagation and the calculation of auxiliary density operators. The new equations, thus, greatly simplify the calculation of the equilibrium correlated initial state that is subsequently used in the real time propagation to obtain the quantum correlation functions. It is also shown that a periodic decomposition of the bath imaginary time correlation function is no longer necessary in the new equations such that different decomposition schemes can be explored. The applicability of the new method is demonstrated in several numerical examples, including the spin-Boson model, the Holstein model, and the double-well model for proton transfer reaction.

Exciton Transport in Molecular Semiconductor Crystals for Spin-Optoelectronics Paradigm.

Organic semiconductors with long-range exciton diffusion length are highly desirable for optoelectronics but currently remain rare. Here, the estimated diffusion length of singlet excitons (LD ) in 2,6-diphenyl anthracene (DPA) crystals grown by solvent evaporation was shown to be up to approximately 124 nm. These crystals showed a previously unseen parallelogram morphology with layer-by-layer edge-on molecular stacking, isotropic optical waveguiding, radiation rate and non-radiation rate constants of 0.15 and 0.26 ns-1 respectively, as well as good field-effect transistor hole mobility and theoretically computed strong electronic couplings as high as 109 meV. Photoresponse experiments revealed that the photoconductivity of DPA crystals is surprisingly not related to the radiative pathway but associated with rapid exciton diffusion to the crystal surface for charge separation and carrier bimolecular recombination. Taken together, DPA was shown to be a promising semiconducting material for a new organic optoelectronics paradigm.

Efficient Bosonic Condensation of Exciton Polaritons in an H-Aggregate Organic Single-Crystal Microcavity.

Although organic polariton condensation has been recently demonstrated, they only utilize the photon part of polaritons and ignore the excitonic contribution because the polariton-polariton and polariton-reservoir interactions are weak in organic microcavities owing to the absence of Coulomb exchange-interactions between Frenkel excitons. We demonstrate highly efficient and strongly polarization-dependent polariton condensates in a microcavity consisting of an H-aggregate organic single-crystalline microbelt sandwiched between two silver reflectors. Benefitting from the advantages of vibronic coupling in H-aggregates and heavy exciton-like polaritons, both macroscopic coherent polariton ground-state population and high-energy quantized-modes are observed. The measurements are qualitatively reproduced based on simulations of the spatiotemporal polariton dynamics. The observation of low threshold polariton lasing, the ease of fabrication, and the potential for efficient electronic charge injection make microcrystals of organic semiconductors attractive candidates for continuous wave and electrically pumped functional photonic polariton circuits and organic polariton lasers, operating at room temperature.

Revealing the Nature of Singlet Fission under the Veil of Internal Conversion.

Singlet fission (SF) holds the potential to boost the maximum power conversion efficiency of photovoltaic devices. Internal conversion (IC) has been considered as one of the major competitive deactivation pathways to transform excitation energy into heat. Now, using time-resolved spectroscopy and theoretical calculation, it is demonstrated that, instead of a conventional IC pathway, an unexpected intramolecular singlet fission (iSF) process is responsible for excited state deactivation in isoindigo derivatives. The 1 TT state could form at ultrafast rate and nearly quantitatively in solution. In solid films, the slipped stacked intermolecular packing of a thiophene-functionalized derivative leads to efficient triplet pair separation, giving rise to an overall triplet yield of 181 %. This work not only enriches the pool of iSF-capable materials, but also contributes to a better understanding of the iSF mechanism, which could be relevant for designing new SF sensitizers.

Quantum interferences among Dexter energy transfer pathways.

Dexter energy transfer in chemical systems moves an exciton (i.e., an electron-hole pair) from a donor chromophore to an acceptor chromophore through a bridge by a combination of bonded and non-bonded interactions. The transition is enabled by both one-electron/one-particle and two-electron/two-particle interaction mechanisms. Assuming that there is no real intermediate state population of an electron, hole, or exciton in the bridge, the transport involves two states that are coupled non-adiabatically. As such, coherent quantum interferences arise among the Dexter energy coupling pathways. These interferences, while related to well understood interferences in single-electron transfer, are much richer because of their two particle nature: the transfer of a triplet exciton involves the net transfer of both an electron and a hole. Despite this additional complexity, simple rules can govern Dexter coupling pathway interferences in special cases. As in the case of single-electron transfer, identical parallel coupling pathways can be constructively interfering and may enhance the Dexter transfer rate. Because of the virtual particle combinatorics associated with two-particle superexchange, two parallel Dexter coupling routes may be expected to enhance Dexter couplings by more than a factor of two. We explore Dexter coupling pathway interferences in non-covalent assemblies, employing a method that enables the assessment of Dexter coupling pathway strengths and interferences, in the context of one-particle and two-particle coupling interactions.

Mechanism of enhanced triplet decay of thionucleobase by glycosylation and rate-modulating strategies.

The decay of the triplet state of photosensitizers is essential to their performance in singlet-oxygen generation. Experiments have shown that in thionucleosides, this decay is enhanced compared to that in the corresponding thionucleobases. In this work, we applied quantum-chemical methods and chemical-kinetic modeling to investigate the effects of the sugar substituent on the triplet decay of thionucleosides. The computed rates for the energetically favored conformers of thiothymidine, thiouridine, and thioguanosine (and the respective thionucleobases) show a remarkable quantitative agreement with the experimental results. We additionally show that the triplet decay enhancement is caused by the repulsion interaction between the sugar group and the sulfur atom, which reduces the activation energy for intersystem crossing by destabilizing the T1 minimum. In some instances, an intramolecular hydrogen bond stabilizes the energy of the T1/S0 crossing point, also reducing the activation energy. This molecular understanding of the mechanism of enhanced triplet decay provides a guideline to control the triplet decay rate, which was tested in new thiothymidine derivatives.

On the decay of the triplet state of thionucleobases.

Singlet oxygen production upon photosensitization plays a critical role in drugs based on thionucleobases. While for immunosuppressants its yield must be near zero, for phototherapeutic drugs it should be near the unity. In this work, we apply high-level quantum chemical modelling to investigate the decay of the triplet state of thionucleobases, a main determinant of the singlet oxygen yield. Working on CASPT2 optimizations of two prototypical thiothymines (2-thiothymine and 6-aza-2-thiothymine), we showed that the T1 state is characterized by two ππ* minima and by the intersection of T1 with the singlet ground state. On the basis of this topography, we propose a two-step mechanistic model, which, depending on the energetic balance between the two minima, may have as a determining step either a slow transition between minima or a faster intersystem crossing to S0. Chemical kinetics modelling, as well as simulations of the transient absorption spectra, confirmed that the two-step model can explain the experimental results available for both molecules. Moreover, through additional investigations of 2-thiocytosine and 6-thioguanine, we show that such a T1 topography is a common theme for nucleobases. We also discuss how the triplet-state topography may be used to control the singlet oxygen yield, aiming at different medical applications.

Why Replacing Different Oxygens of Thymine with Sulfur Causes Distinct Absorption and Intersystem Crossing.

Recent experiments replacing oxygen atoms by sulfur in thymine have revealed that absorption and intersystem crossing properties of these derivatives are strongly dependent on the position and number of the substitutions, affecting their potential performance for photodynamical therapy. Using multireference quantum chemical methods (CASPT2 and DFT/MRCI), we calculated absorption spectra and spin-orbit coupling matrix elements for thymine (Thy), 2-thiothymine (2tThy), 4-thiothymine (4tThy), and 2,4-dithiothymine (2,4dtThy), to investigate this relation between structure and photophysics. The simulations showed that a simple 4-electrons/4-orbital minimum model can explain the main experimentally observed spectral features. Moreover, the computational estimate of intersystem crossing lifetimes in this sequence of molecules revealed that the experimental value attributed to thymine in water might be underestimated by a factor 20, most probably due to an overlap of singlet/triplet absorption signals in the transient absorption spectrum. The difference between the absorptivity of 2tThy and 2tThd was also investigated, but no conclusive explanation could be found.

Mixed Quantum-Classical Study of Nonadiabatic Curve Crossing in Condensed Phases.

We apply the mixed quantum-classical Liouville (MQCL) equation to investigate the nonadiabatic curve crossing in condensed phases. More specifically, electron transfer rate constants of the spin-Boson model are calculated by employing a rate constant expression using the collective solvent polarization as the reaction coordinate. In the calculation, classical nuclear degrees of freedom are initially sampled at the transition state configuration, and the initial state for the electronic degree of freedom is obtained from a mixed quantum-classical Boltzmann distribution. Different contributions to the electron transfer rate from the diagonal and off-diagonal elements of the initial density matrix, and contributions from trajectories with positive and negative initial velocities are analyzed. It is shown that the off-diagonal elements of the initial density matrix play an important role in the total electron transfer rate. The MQCL results are also compared with those calculated using Ehrenfest dynamics. It is found that, although the Ehrenfest dynamics is inaccurate when the reactive flux rate expression is used directly, it can give reasonably accurate results when individual contributions from the diagonal and off-diagonal elements of the initial density matrix are calculated.

New Insights into the State Trapping of UV-Excited Thymine.

After UV excitation, gas phase thymine returns to a ground state in 5 to 7 ps, showing multiple time constants. There is no consensus on the assignment of these processes, with a dispute between models claiming that thymine is trapped either in the first (S1) or in the second (S2) excited states. In the present study, a nonadiabatic dynamics simulation of thymine is performed on the basis of ADC(2) surfaces, to understand the role of dynamic electron correlation on the deactivation pathways. The results show that trapping in S2 is strongly reduced in comparison to previous simulations considering only non-dynamic electron correlation on CASSCF surfaces. The reason for the difference is traced back to the energetic cost for formation of a CO π bond in S2.

Near-Infrared Lasing from Small-Molecule Organic Hemispheres.

Near-infrared (NIR) lasers are key components for applications, such as telecommunication, spectroscopy, display, and biomedical tissue imaging. Inorganic III-V semiconductor (GaAs) NIR lasers have achieved great successes but require expensive and sophisticated device fabrication techniques. Organic semiconductors exhibit chemically tunable optoelectronic properties together with self-assembling features that are well suitable for low-temperature solution processing. Major blocks in realizing NIR organic lasing include low stimulated emission of narrow-bandgap molecules due to fast nonradiative decay and exciton-exciton annihilation, which is considered as a main loss channel of population inversion for organic lasers under high carrier densities. Here we designed and synthesized the small organic molecule (E)-3-(4-(di-p-tolylamino)phenyl)-1-(1-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (DPHP) with amphiphilic nature, which elaborately self-assembles into micrometer-sized hemispheres that simultaneously serves as the NIR emission medium with a photoluminescence quantum efficiency of ∼15.2%, and the high-Q (∼1.4 × 10(3)) whispering gallery mode microcavity. Moreover, the radiative rate of DPHP hemispheres is enhanced up to ∼1.98 × 10(9) s(-1) on account of the exciton-vibrational coupling in the solid state with the J-type molecular-coupling component, and meanwhile the exciton-exciton annihilation process is eliminated. As a result, NIR lasing with a low threshold of ∼610 nJ/cm(2) is achieved in the single DPHP hemisphere at room temperature. Our demonstration is a major step toward incorporating the organic coherent light sources into the compact optoelectronic devices at NIR wavelengths.

Self-Assembled Microdisk Lasers of Perylenediimides.

Organic solid-state lasers (OSSLs) have been a topic of intensive investigations. Perylenediimide (PDI) derivatives are widely used in organic thin-film transistors and solar cells. However, OSSLs based on neat PDIs have not been achieved yet, owing to the formation of H-aggregates and excimer trap-states. Here, we demonstrated the first PDI-based OSSL from whispering-gallery mode (WGM) hexagonal microdisk (hMD) microcavity of N,N'-bis(1-ethylpropyl)-2,5,8,11-tetrakis(p-methyl-phenyl)-perylenediimide (mp-PDI) self-assembled from solution. Single-crystal data reveal that mp-PDI molecules stack into a loosely packed twisted brickstone arrangement, resulting in J-type aggregates that exhibit a solid-state photoluminescence (PL) efficiency φ > 15%. Moreover, we found that exciton-vibration coupling in J-aggregates leads to an exceptional ultrafast radiative decay, which reduces the exciton diffusion length, in turn, suppresses bimolecular exciton annihilation (bmEA) process. These spectral features, plus the optical feedback provided by WGM-hMD microcavity, enable the observation of multimode lasing as evidenced by nonlinear output, spectral narrowing, and temporal coherence of laser emission. With consideration of high carrier-mobility associated with PDIs, hMDs of mp-PDI are attractive candidates on the way to achieve electrically driven OSSL.

A time domain two-particle approximation to calculate the absorption and circular dichroism line shapes of molecular aggregates.

The hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) method has recently emerged as an effective approach to simulate linear and nonlinear spectroscopic signals of molecular aggregates in the intermediate coupling regime. However, its application to large systems is still limited when there are a large number of molecules in the molecular aggregate. In this work, we propose a time domain two-particle approximation (TPA) in combination with the HEOM method to calculate the absorption and circular dichroism line shapes of molecular aggregates. The new method is shown to reduce the number of auxiliary density operators (ADOs) significantly for large systems, and a further truncation of the two-bath-set excited terms based on geometric considerations can lead to a linear increase of the number of ADOs with the system size. The validity of the HEOM-TPA method is first tested on one-dimensional model systems. The new method is then applied to calculate the absorption and circular dichroism line shapes of the Photosystem I core complex, as well as the population evolution of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex to demonstrate its effectiveness.